WACO, Texas, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Pre-Fixer Upper fame, Chip and Joanna Gaines were struggling to make ends meet as Chip worked to get their fledgling house flipping business off the ground.
"I remember when we first got married the only money we had was what was in Chip's pocket," Joanna said in an interview with People. "He always had a wad of cash, but we were broke. If I needed to go grocery shopping it's whatever was in his pocket. That's how we paid the bills."
Things have changed for the Gaines family with Chip and Joanna now hosting one of HGTV's most successful shows. The couple also oversees a magazine, a retail store, a home accessories line, and have recently penned a book. Their memoir, The Magnolia Story, hits bookshelves Oct. 18.
Joanna is also taking on a new role as fashion designer, working with Matilda Jane Clothing on a line of girls' clothes which will be available at the beginning of December.
With all of their newfound success, Chip and Joanna are focused on staying grounded.
"It's the simple things," Joanna said about the family's TV-free lifestyle on their 40-acre farm in Waco, Texas with their four children.
"I tell the kids that you are probably not going to get a cell phone," Joanna added. "We want to teach our kids that life happens outside of these devices. It's just a simple thing to go outside and connect with nature, play with your friends and get dirty."
Fixer Upper airs nightly on HGTV at 9 p.m.
